Monday, July 06, 2015

John Zorn - The Song Project Live (Tzadik, 2015)

As a part of the Zorn@60 celebration came this fascinating
concert at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City, where John Zorn conducted some
of his favorite musicians and vocalists in a program ranging from thrash rock
to delicate South and Latin American music. There were original songs and music
from John Zorn’s many groups. The vocalists are: Mike Patton, Jesse Harris (on
guitar also) and Sofia Rei. The musicians are some of Zorn’s most stalwart
collaborators: Marc Ribot on guitar, John Medeski or keyboards, Trevor Dunn on
bass, Kenny Wollensen on vibes, Cyro Baptista on percussion and Joey Baron on
drums. “Flying Blind” opens the album with vocals from Mike Patton, and some
snarling guitar sounding like heavy metal from another planet. Patton screams
for all he’s worth with Medeski’s organ and Dunn’s bass making chase. Gentle
acoustic guitar makes for a dramatic change of pace for “Sombra En El Espejo”
sung by Sofia Rei. The vocals have a sultry yearning feel to them; with subtle
vibes in the background while Baptista’s percussion and Medeski’s piano make
for an excellent backdrop for the emotional singing. “Perfect Crime” is a duet
between Mike Patton and Sofia Rei with some slinky guitar and organ developing
and old west Tom Waits vibe. The lyrics are quite cosmic, about the beginning
of the Universe and the planets doing time as if they are in some run down
frontier jail. The vocalists work well with the surreal material and Ribot
absolutely goes to town with a derermined guitar solo that is perfect for the
song. Ms. Rei performs a duet with Jesse Harris on “Kafiristan,” which has a
more refined and sensual feeling. The overall sense is one of loneliness and
longing and lyrics about mysterious characters accompanied by tasteful guitar
and vibes. Mike Patton’s gritty voice opens “Do Not Let Us Forget” and then the
band slams in led by Medeski’s great organ and then Ribot lets loose with an
extraordinary solo against the screaming vocals making for completely unhinged
music. Patton returns on “Burn” which has wild keyboards and the singer wailing
at the extent of his powers and releasing the force of the organ that flat out
bellows. “The Man In the Blue Mask” has lyrics by Jesse Harris and vocals by
Mike Patton. It opens with subtle guitar and deep vocals and Patton’s voice
picks up and carries the music to another level of pure rock and roll. There is
an excellent section for guitar and drumming, leading the music through dynamic
crescendos. This was a fascinating album, which moved from the most avant garde
scorching to gentle sounds of exotic acoustic flavored music. Zorn acted as
directed as a director and master of ceremonies and created a wide ranging
program of successful music. Song Project Live - amazon.com